


Our Colorless World

by ImpyTricky (rychuu)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Death, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, So Kokichi dies, Soulmate AU where if you kiss your Soulmate you see colors, Soulmates, takes place in canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 21:42:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20842460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rychuu/pseuds/ImpyTricky
Summary: A little too late.For as long as he could remember, Kaito Momota had seen the world in brilliant colors.





	Our Colorless World

In a world where your vision was filled with nothing but shades of gray until you kissed your soulmate, Kaito was an oddball out of the rest. From as young as five years old, he could distinguish colors and shades with ease, much to every doctor’s amazement. For a while, his grandparents thought that Kaito had playfully kissed another child that sparked the color shift, but it soon became clear that Kaito was never meant to be with anyone as a ‘soulmate.’

It was a rare occurrence, but sometimes when people were without a soulmate, romantic, familial, or platonic, they would randomly be gifted with a vision full of color.

Kaito wasn’t ever sure how he felt about that.

His gift was more like a curse, always the subject of teasing and harassment when his ability to see color was discovered. Many students would call him “the unloved one” and endlessly tease him. Kaito was quick to laugh it off, but the teasing stung deep in his chest.

That was why, when he decided he wanted to be an astronaut, he poured his heart and soul into it. It was hard to tease someone who would respond with utterances that his work was far more important than soulmates, and eventually, he was teased for his love of space over his lack of a soul mate.

Things got easier to deal with over time, and soon, not having a soulmate wasn’t even a thought on his mind. The teasing stopped completely once he proved himself with his talent and skills, and he quickly became admired by those who used to look down upon him.

The next time he would think about his lack of a soulmate would be when he entered the killing game.

It had been around lunch time when he caught Kokichi Ouma in the Dining Hall by himself, doodling with crayons on some pieces of paper as he shoveled food into his mouth. When Kaito happened to glance over Kokichi’s shoulder, he noticed that he was drawing little doodles of himself and his classmates. The shocking part was, however, he was coloring everyone with the right colors rather than mismatching them, as one might expect from someone who couldn’t see different hues.

As he stared in awe at his realization, Kokichi noticed him gawking at his drawing, and after a moment, gave Kaito a huge grin.

“You can see them too, can’t you?”

Being called out like that made Kaito flinched and recoil away, much to Kokichi’s amusement.

“Aww! With that kind of reaction, I bet Kaito is just like me!” Kokichi chirped, tapping a purple crayon to his lips. “You don’t have a soulmate, do you? Saw colors for as long as you could remember, hmm?”

As Kokichi continued to laugh at him, Kaito felt his own cheeks heat up from embarrassment and anger. It had been too long since someone remarked on his lack of a soulmate, but just before his anger could take over him, Kokichi hummed.

“Weeell, I guess I’m no better! I don’t have one either!” Kokichi said that with a tone that was far too happy and cheerful, and he returned to his doodling. “Sooo, it’s not that big of a deal.”

Kaito left the Dining Hall without ever getting his lunch.

The next time he is reminded of his unfortunate luck is when he wakes up on the cold, hard floor of the bathroom in the Exisal Hanger. He woke up hungry, but he noticed a sloppily made sandwich waiting for him on a paper plate along side an empty glass.

“… I figured you’d want to get your own water,” he heard Kokichi say through the door. Apparently, he heard him shifting around as he woke up. “Can’t exactly get you food that you’d be happy with, though. So you’ll just have to trust me that it’s not poisoned or something.”

It took Kaito a while to trust Kokichi enough to eat the food provided, but he eventually grew too hungry to dismiss it. One meal later and no stomach pain proved that Kokichi was still somehow trustworthy. Even after everything he had done.

Things had grown quiet beyond the other side of the door. For an hour, nothing was said or done. Kaito didn’t hear Kokichi’s footsteps, but he didn’t know whether or not Kokichi had quietly left or if he was still there.

At least, until Kokichi started speaking again.

“You know, it’s kind of funny that it had to be you.” Kokichi started, his voice weakened and cold. “We’re not so different, you know.”

“We are the polar opposites of each other,” Kaito hissed. He would have ignored Kokichi’s remark if he hadn’t felt so entirely offended. “You’re a sick, twisted, lying sack of shit and the mastermind behind this killing game.”

“Hmm, I wonder about all that...” Kokichi only responded to Kaito’s bitter anger with a cold, sad tone. Something distant, and almost accepting. “… Say, you know I actually do have a soulmate?”

Kaito scoffed. “That’s the worst lie you’ve told yet.”

“It’s true, even if you don’t believe me.” Kokichi paused. “Except I know nothing about him.”

This piqued Kaito’s curiosity, and he raised a brow. “Now that just sounds like you’re not even trying.”

“I guess… that does sound weird, doesn’t it?” Kokichi laughed. It was soft, but void of his usual cheer. “I was really little when we met for the first time. We played all day at the park. He loved chasing me. It was really fun.”

Kaito kept quiet, not believing the lie for a second but finding that Kokichi’s tone sounded genuine enough. It wasn’t one he ever heard him use before.

“Then I had to go home. He was sooo upset over it. He said he didn’t have any friends and that I was the first kid that ever played with him like that. I… don’t know what I was thinking, but I decided to kiss him. I think I wanted to kiss him goodbye, under the yellow slide. Well, I didn’t know what ‘yellow’ looked like until I opened my eyes again.” Kokichi laughed. “I was like, four or something. I didn’t even know anything about soulmates or colors. So when I started seeing colors, I started crying. It’s pretty scary to have your vision change so suddenly when you don’t know what’s happening!”

As Kokichi recalled the so-called memory of his soulmate, the tension in Kaito’s shoulders started to melt away. He could almost forget his misgivings for Kokichi, hearing him talk about something that sounded so personal and genuine. Kaito didn’t want to believe it, considering it was  _ Kokichi _ talking and all, but… Something stirred in his chest, a sort of guilt for not believing the story. Something told him that it might just be true.

“I ran away before anything else. And… I never saw him again. Sad, isn’t it?” Kokichi laughed again. “My soulmate has nooo idea who I am, or where I am. Yet… Hey, if the world outside really is destroyed, then why am I still seeing the colors of the rainbow? I wonder… They say when your soulmate dies, the world goes back to being gray. If that’s true, then...”

Kokichi’s voice trailed off, and he didn’t continue his thought. Kaito wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it.

“Why are you telling me this? What game are you playing?”

“Hmmm…? Why, why indeed.” Kokichi shifted, and his voice started to sound a little more distant. “Maybe I want someone to know. Before it’s too late.”

“If you think you’re gonna win sympathy points from me over some sob story about you and some other kid, you’ve got another thing coming,” Kaito spat. Even if things felt strange, he couldn’t forget or forgive Kokichi for the killing game. Not for all of those who died, and those who suffered because of his actions. “It wasn’t even a good story. You think anyone’s gonna believe crap like that?”

“Hmm… Well, maybe one day, you’ll believe me.” Kokichi chuckled. “One day.”

“Like hell I’ll ever believe you!”

Kaito’s words made Kokichi fall silent. Several minutes passed, before Kokichi finally whispered out a quiet “I’m sorry,” before Kaito heard his footsteps fade away into the hanger.

Not that Kaito could, or ever  _ would, _ forgive him.

A few days later, at the darkest hour, Kaito found himself standing in front of the hydraulic press, watching as Kokichi readied himself to become the victim to an insane plot he seemingly cooked up on the spot. Guilt curled in Kaito’s stomach, realizing that Kokichi wasn’t at all the mastermind, and he felt like an idiot for not seeing through his lies before.

It should have been obvious, if he had just thought about it.

A snicker brought Kaito back to reality, and he stared down at Kokichi, laying on top of his jacket with a smile.

“Jeez, Kaito, you look like you’re having second thoughts,” Kokichi chirped, but his voice was raw and harsh. “Gonna let your precious little Maki Roll be the blackened after all?”

“No, absolutely not!” Kaito didn’t like how defensive he sounded, nor did he like how his hands shook. He was about to end Kokichi’s life. No matter how many times he tried to process it, all it ever felt like was one big, horrid nightmare. “I won’t let Maki Roll die!”

“Then stop overthinking things, you dummy.” Kokichi was interrupted with a groan, and he started panting. “Now… you better hurry up and kill me, b-before  _ she _ does.”

“Okay, okay...” Kaito sighed, yet the exhale brought him no relief. “I’ll… let you know when I’m ready.”

“Actually, wait—” Kokichi leaned over, turning his head to face Kaito, grinning widely. “How about a kiss goodbye?”

“What?!” The request took Kaito off guard for a moment, but then he growled and shook his head. “Really? You gotta mess with me, even when you’re about to…?”

Kokichi’s grin lessened. Suddenly, his eyes looked glassy. “… Maybe it’s ‘cause I’m gonna die that I want it.”

Hearing Kokichi say it so bluntly, like he had accepted it long before his life was ever in danger, made Kaito’s chest twist with pain and guilt. “… Are you serious?”

“What… what would you do if I said I  _ was _ , spaceman?” Kokichi snickered. “It’s not like you have a soulmate to worry about… or anything. Maybe I just wanna… pretend for a second that...” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. “Never mind. It’s just a lie, anyway.”

Something told Kaito that was a lie. Something told him that Kokichi was being genuine, like when he told the story about the little boy he kissed and never saw again. The pain and guilt ate at his chest, and before Kaito could even think to stop himself, he climbed back onto the press and crashed his lips against Kokichi’s.

The kiss lasted longer than he intended. The contact made his chest burst with so many complicated feelings—guilt, regret, affection, desire—all at once, the emotions swirled and made his heart pound against his rib cage.

After a few seconds, Kaito finally realized what he was doing, and pulled away. Kokichi was staring up at him, eyes widened and still glassy with a slight flush to his cheeks, but his expression otherwise unreadable.

“… Uh, sorry,” Kaito fumbled, a blush burning on his own face. “I thought—I thought you, uh.” Before he could make an even bigger fool of himself, Kaito quickly moved off of the press, and made his way towards the controls. “L-let me know when you’re… ready.”

Kaito quickly made his way up to the control panel, and stood in front of it. Kokichi hadn’t responded to the kiss, nor to Kaito’s words, and he didn’t for several minutes.

In that time, Kaito swore he heard a soft sniffle. He didn’t call Kokichi out on it, though.

“… Okay.” Finally, the moment Kaito dreaded, Kokichi had spoken again. “I’m… I’m ready.”

Kaito wasn’t sure if  _ he _ was ready. There were so many complicated thoughts and feelings, along with the strong desire to  _ not _ kill anyone and  _ not _ die himself. Yet before he could hesitate and fill his head with more regrets, Kaito squeezed his eyes shut, and pressed the camera’s RECORD function along side the hydraulic press’ activation button.

………

……

…

Soon, he heard the sound of the press slam closed, along with the disgusting sound of Kokichi’s body being reduced to blood, crushed bones, and other imagery that made Kaito want to gag. If he thought about it too hard, he knew that he heard the sound of Kokichi’s bones snapping, and—

Before Kaito could actually do so, he opened his eyes and pressed the camera’s STOP button. When he did, he immediately doubled over and gagged. Kokichi was dead, surely nothing but a mess of red all over the press and the floor around it, and it was all his fault.

Kaito wheezed and gagged again. He wanted to fall apart, wanted to throw up the terrible feelings he felt and be done with it all, but he had a plot to carry out. He had no time to waste.

Kaito drew in some deep breaths, trying not to look at the corpse crushed between the two metal slabs that he created, but a part of him just couldn’t  _ resist. _ His eyes wandered over, to the blood stained slabs that once was Kokichi Ouma, and—

—Saw nothing but the color gray.


End file.
